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The other woman nodded.
The first one winked and reached out to pat Rose’s arm. “Go ahead and tell us everything.”
“Well, there’s always the cowboy ribeye. It’s big enough that the two of you could share it and take home leftovers.” Her soft laugh sounded forced even to her own ears. “You can order that steak with a choice of sides you can find on your menu there.” Rose pointed to the menu and continued listing the other specials including a few vegan options that had surprised her when she’d heard about them.
When she was done, the woman smiled warmly and glanced over to her companion. “I think we’d like a few more minutes, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” Rose stuffed her mini clipboard into the pocket of her apron. “Would you like me to bring you anything to drink, or would you like to get started with some waters?”
“Water with a lemon, please.”
“Make that two.”
Rose nodded. “You got it.”
She hurried back to the kitchen, grateful that she didn’t have to continue pretending she wasn’t still dealing with her heartache. From her fake smile to her forced laugh, she sounded much like she would imagine her mother sounding if she had still been working. All of this country charm and hospitality for the tourists could really wear a girl down.
Was this a glimpse into her future? Would she be trapped into bantering with the locals while being forced to hide the truth of her disappointing life?
Water overflowed the cup that was in her hand, dousing her hand with its ice-cold temperature. She gasped, jumping back with the cup, causing more water to spill. Dang it! She needed to clear her head. Normally, she would escape these sorts of things by painting. But along with most of her belongings in Utah, she’d sold her supplies, and she couldn’t even do that.
Rose delivered the waters to the women who were still deciding what they wanted to eat and glanced toward the door to find a well-dressed man who could have been as old as her father. The hostess was nowhere in sight and Rose needed all the customers she could get.
Mr. Cline wasn’t anywhere she could see, so he wouldn’t chastise her for taking a customer when one had just recently been seated in her section.
She gathered a couple menus and silverware and approached the gentleman. “How many today?”
“Two.” The man shifted so he could look out the front window near the door. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be waiting, though, so if you need to wait to seat me?—”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure they’ll get here right on time.” Rose gestured toward her section. “Follow me.” She wound through the tables, passing the one with the two women and smiling at them as she walked by them. When she got to a nearby booth, she motioned to it. “Will this work?”
The man settled down onto the bench and nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
She smiled as she placed a menu in front of him. “Are you expecting a full house?” She’d placed a second menu and was in the process of laying down a third when he waved his hand to stop her.
“Just the two menus, please. I’m meeting with a client to discuss a will.”
“Oh, right.” She pulled the menu back, embarrassed she had let that detail slip from her mind already. It didn’t help that his meeting was about someone dying. “I’m sorry.”
His smile seemed just about as strained as her own. “Gotta make a living somehow.” His eyes drifted to a sign above the bar. “Would you mind giving me a list of the specials? Normally, I would meet with my clients in the city, but this is where he wanted to go.”
“Of course!” Rose dove into her list of specials, parroting the exact same thing she’d told the women moments ago. “And since you’re waiting on your client, I can get you started with some water.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
She took the extra supplies with her and returned to the kitchen. She wasn’t there for even two seconds before Lacey sidled up beside her.
“So, there was this table I had the other day. It was a couple of cowboys, and they were arguing.”
“That’s nice,” Rose mumbled.
“Arguing,” Lacey enunciated with a laugh.
Rose glanced at her friend out of the corner of her eye. “Okay. I’ll bite. What were they arguing about?”
“The bro code.”
“The bro code?”
